Kevin Costner is in talks to join the 'Molly's Game' cast.

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner

The 61-year-old actor is reportedly in negotiations to play the father of the titular character in the drama, which already has Jessica Chastain signed on to play the lead, with Idris Elba and Michael Cera also set for roles.

'Molly's Game' marks the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and is adapted from the memoir by Molly Bloom, entitled 'Molly's Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker'.

The story follows Molly, a skier who heads to Los Angeles to become a cocktail waitress after her Olympic dreams are dashed.

There, she rises through the social ranks to become an organiser of underground poker games for the Hollywood elite, but when a Russian mob connection surfaces, the FBI moves in and the game is over.

The movie focuses on her relationship with her criminal defence lawyer (Elba), who realises there's much more to Molly than meets the eye.

Producer Mark Gordon previously said: "[The story is] a very human story ... It's a character piece, it's the people in her life, it's her transformation of going from a young woman who was just about to go to law school who got sucked up into this wonderful, horrible opportunity of running this card game in Los Angeles."

Entertainment One and The Mark Gordon Company have secured financing for the project, and in addition to Gordon, Amy Pascal will also produce via her Pascal Pictures banner. Leopoldo Gout will serve as executive producer.

A release date is yet to be set for the feature, but shooting begins next month.